A (formerly) twinkie-lovin Texan and successful Wall Street analyst shares the story of one morning's family breakfast that changed the course of her life, as well as (she hopes) the course of the American food industry. Realizing that her child was allergic to what she had considered safe foods, Robyn O'Brien put her analytical and research skills to work and discovered far more than she'd wanted to about what's really in the foods we feed our families. This video will have even the hardened skeptics pondering whether their food habits need some tweaking.

Sophie

Money, money, money --- money! For the love of money it doesn't matter who gets hurt or sick or dies. When will we ever learn that our children are our future and need the best nourishment that money isn't buying.

dave

I only hope we learn from our mistakes

Barclay

As a 30 year plus veteran of the organic food industry, I, and many thousands of others have KNOWN and have been talking about these issues for that length of time.
what is inspiring is that, through a personal crisis,she took her obvious analytical talents and is hopefully influencing Wall St. from a position of viewing our industry as an up and coming profit center to a position of greater consciousness(Yeah I know, but I can dream, can't I?), and also legitimizing (hopefully) this story to millions of conventional shoppers the need to start understanding and making better choices for themselves and their families.

Maylou

Robyn has done something about what I at 75 have been feeling is an issue. I have been trying to return to eating as I did years ago too. I am alergic to sulf and found it in so many frozen/canned food and not even on the label. It is in so many cosmetics tec....even some drinking water. I wonder who is really helping us...not our government. Continue your work and hope our country moves toward eliminating synthetic proten from our food chain. I am wondering if synthetic protient would be similar to synthetic harmones....like in birthcontrol pills as well a chicken etc.
Continue with your work........it all makes good sense.

Julie

Food justice

In a word, Monsantos.

Angela

The basic of economics is real, however with the help of a health coach we can design meal plans that will save families money and get them more value for their food over time.www.NutritonCoachNetwork.com/AngelaHoward

Sarah

I though I had been doing well with buying organic dairy products and keeping preservatives and artificial coloring away from my kids. Now, I see I have so much more to learn and do starting with buying organic meat. It will be hard on the budget but when my kids are 80 years old and cancer free, it will be worth it. Check out my blog:www.marshmallowshavebluedye.blogspot.com I will be blogging about this video.

Joe

Fantastic stuff. Thank you for your wonderful work. Not sure who will slow down the Monsanto train. With lovely people like Rumsfeld on the board you know they have DC locked up. All we need is a bigger lobby and we can then out buy the politicians the way these special interest groups have! It is all a big circle to protect the food and medical industries. It will be so sad when they have exterminated their consumer base. You have to ask at some point, are we the only country participating in eugenics?

Jennifer McGraw

I am inspired. My little one has life-threatening food allergies to dairy, egg, nuts, and wheat. I have been in defensive mode since her diagnosis at her 1st birthday trying to keep her safe Understanding this epidemic and educating others is a new mission for me. I want to do more to help your crusade.

michelle leamon

Everything she said. I want to join her on her crusade. How do I?

Melissa

As a kid, I was tested for 400 different things to find that I was allergic to 368 of them. All of the food allergies that O'Brien spoke about effect my diet. Pretend you have just my allergy to soy the next few times you eat, and you'll begin to see how wide spread this problem has become. Please do what you can; push the FDA, start your own sustainable, organic garden, or whatever it is that makes sense for you.

melody

everything about this video is inspiring. she is me but a better speaker and with actual facts. I have been saying something is wrong with either our water or soil I wasn't sure. I realized this when in my hometown everyone seems to die from cancer and young. my dad is a farmer I remember him growig soy for the govt.

Cecelia Ann Jernegan

I am a grandma. I watch my grandchildren eat processed food. My son's said, but mom that is what you fed us when we were little. Now I can tell them NO....this is NOT the same food as we had in the 1970's. We must as a country stand up and speak out. I shop at Trader Joe's and the stores in Arizona are packed! Robyn thank you for your statistics and explaining to us what is happening. How can we help get more people on your team???

Sarah

I though I had been doing well with buying organic dairy products and keeping preservatives and artificial coloring away from my kids. Now, I see I have so much more to learn and do starting with buying organic meat. It will be hard on the budget but when my kids are 80 years old and cancer free, it will be worth it. Check out my blog: www.marshamallowshavebluedye.blogspot.com I will be blogging about this video.

Amanda

As a patient with celiac disease and now the unfamiliar raynauds disease and paralysing effects I get from food this video explains some to me. After watching food inc. this seems to go hand in hand with that. I have suffered for years with some sort of "allergy" until recently when I was diagnosed with celiac disease but even now I struggle with every item I eat. Everything processed is completly out. Eating has become no longer enjoyable and the convience of lunch with a friend is complely out most places in our area do not have "gluten free" or organic food for lunch that I can eat. This video explains alot of the reaction I have had to food. Makes me question if my causes are so called "genetic" or just plan from what I have consumed without knowing what are food system has added and here I always felt we ate rather healthy.

Rita Casey

A friend told me about this video. I do a gluten free cooking class. am going to show this video at the next class August 20 Sat. Blairsville, GA

Steve

Good information. Great. Who can afford organic food? So much for buying "American." More evidence that corporate America and the politicians are not looking out for the American citizen.

Mary

Well, whatever. No one ever seems to be thankful for the fact that us human beans are living much longer much healthier lives. I'm sure some folks have food allergies ... always have. Awareness is heightened, and that's good. But PLEASE. I dare you to show life expectancies or whatever data you choose based on folks eating "organic" food versus food that doesn't have that tag.

Christine Lifgren

It is ammazing to have listened to this video. sincere The information was so well put, so thoroughly understood. I have shared the sentiment of this womean for years, my daughter is now 35, I was 18 when I began my journey. I got tears in my eyes as I took it all in. WEll don. A million times thank you. I will e-mail this to my entire address book(however limited it is) without reservation, and look for opportunities to share it because even though my feelings were similar, I could never find the words to back it up. Thanks again

Todd

Wow! I hope that our food becomes a proiority so that we Americans have better health. I developed Psoriasis and it consumed my life affecting every aspect. They say Diet has nothing to do as it is Genetic. Personally, "I need to take a different approach", Profitability vs. Health. Our health should always be priority number one. Our country needs to realign our thoughts and "pull the weeds" from our Capitalistic ways. Seems like we need to do it NOW! Stop the bureucratic B.S. and deregulate organic foods. Make organic food cheaper to produce and shift the burden on mutated food products. "We the People" have spoken. Just DO IT

Dhaval

I studied at University of Texas (Austin)and am Canadian. There's more to this - aspartame, monsanto, etc. It's been five years since I took it upon myself to make the change to a whole food plant based diet! Check out my blog post: http://dseries.wordpress.com/2010/09/07/whats-in-a-name/

Judith

The fact that it speakes to making small changes. Over the past 20 years I have been doing just that. Today I'm in the precess of eating only organic raw food. I do not eat meat, fish or food grown by big companies. I belong to a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture. This farm has grown organic food for its members for a fee. It supports farmers who would not otherwise be able to have a living. Thank you for making others aware of what is happening in our county.

Bonnie

Beautifully spoken. Sincere and passionate. The time has come for us to take responsibility for our health, the health of our children and the health of our planet. There is help sorting it all out. Here is just one place to start....check it out! http://www.metamorphassist.com

Martha

She pinpointed the major problem to 1996 novel protein! Now who can stop it???
Also, what can we do to make CORPORATIONS consider the PEOPLE and not the GREED which seems to be destroying America from every angle of corporate America? I have felt that an FDA revolution was needed for a long time. She confirmed it. Only they, at this moment, can stop the greed factor. But they aren't really a government protector institution, are they? They are on the side of the pharma companies and actually WANT us all to be sick! So what can we do?
Quit buying engineered food. Quit using pharmaceuticals at all, there are other solutions in natural remedies. Demand the freedom of those natural remedies! Start the press working on pressuring the big corporations about their greed. It is killing us all.

Gary Brothers

brian

Rwexler

Absolutely nothing, mostly because it IS a video. I would MUCH rather read an article, as I would be able to refer to without having to sit through a long video to review information.

amber

Robyn's passion for this subject is amazing. It almost brings me to tears. This is one of the best presentations I have seen/read on this subject. So important!! If everyone would just take 20 minutes out of their day to realize that a change needs to be made.

Tierroche

Most european governments have taken a set of appropriate measures as regard food safety, which, apparently is not the case in America. Why? Many may be opposed to the precaution principle on the basis that it is detrimental to the competitivity of the food industry and slows down its development. How, then, could such a principle prevail in countries like America, so keen to maintain economic supremacy,or China, so keen to conquer it? Fortunately,that spirit of self-reliance, so dear to americans, also applies to judgement... when it is well informed.

Mina

Very good presentation. I started doing more research concerning food a few years ago because of my son. He stutters and I was seeing parents blogging about their their children's increased dysfluency when eating foods that have nitrates, ie hot dogs and lunch meat. When we eliminated those from his diet within 2 months his speech improved by 75%.

LIndsey

As a mom to 3 special needs kids this is important to me! We all need to be knowledgeable about this...

susan v. o'rourke

Thank you for helping all of us who need to be educated. Please continue you work
and if you need help please let me know. Thank you.
Respectfully,
Sue O'Rourke

janaki

got a inspiration to do something in my field>>>

Gail Seignious

Robyn's presentation was the most inspiring I have ever seen regarding our food supply, health concerns, rising medical costs, our farmers, greed, destruction of our food supply, and I could go on and on! I applaud her and thank her from the bottom of my heart.
Many people have worked for many years to bring this information forward. Many have heard these truths and acted on them, but many have not wanted to believe it! Robyn will be the voice to carry this crucial message forward... and I thank God for her!

bilkis yusuf hussain

i am afraid the video was buffering and the sound system was not audible will try to remedy this and then watch it, it sounds very interesting

Sandra Johnson

I love the way she gave the facts slowly enough for them to be digested just like the poisons they're tying to feed us. Eveyone in this country should watch this. We need to change.

r

Saw this shortly after it happened in Austin during the SXSWi 2011 this past march. Totally made me think more and more about our declining future and the growing distrust for the government and companies like Monsanto who are gov. backed and supported and vice-versa (see Food, Inc). This is an article that is further disgusting the system trying to oppose http://www.prwatch.org/spin/2011/01/9903/whole-foods-market-caves-monsanto. It's a bit old, but still valid.

Alison Clarke

It's done very well. And I think could reach the more of those who aremt' neciessaroly convensed already

Randall Underwood

Monsanto, is the same company that was responsible for AGENT ORANGE in a place I was stationed, ....VietNam. Not a nice company at all. This year, 2011, I've finally put two and two together and I have concluded that Agent Orange has been ravaging my body sense my time in Nam.....I'm filing a claim against AO. Monsanto, they also wrecked the town of Anniston, Alabama with their company....google it to find out allthe sorted details. Not only are they wrecking our food supply, they have wrecked many a person's life.....all in the name of PROFIT. I hate that word, because of how it makes greedy business owners act....every thing for a larger PROFIT. Robin O'Brien, thumbs up....its time America gets back to what is right. I salute you.
Randall Underwood
olehippy13
former vietnam medic

Don

I was a Vice President of a natural food store chain and I knew most of this, but she puts it very well. I also learned a few things myself. I also can no longer eat corn, corn syrup etc anymore. If I do, I get intense pain, weakness, headache and it feels like my face and brain is swelling. I never had a problem until they genetically modified the corn.

mark

The truth

Jillian

Hearing this from a business professional really brought home the insanity that is business as usual in the US. The brilliant business models described are killing more and more of us each day. Cancers and immune system diseases are ever on the rise, because there's very little food in our food anymore.

Lauri

Speaking from someone who has been dealing with illness for 6 years, I am very inspired by this. I am a poster child (adult!) for the horrors that happen to the body with dietary mis-steps, but there is great hope for healing. We wash produce very well, we buy organic produce and meat, and when we eat meat, we cook it well. Kudos for your efforts! Every word was spot on.

Sal

Who is to blame? Corporate greed? Single parenthood? TV advertising? Government?
It's a ugly cycle.

Kerrin

She does an amazing job of bring forth the message. I shared it. Did you? Vote with your grocery dollars and do a garden of fresh food. That would be a big message to the folks who are using greed to kill us all.

Asia Aslam

The words that touched me most are "What’s true patriotism means?": Each one of us taking simple steps to put the safety of the health back in our homes and nation as a whole via eating right and fighting the corporate system which is responsible for fooling the people. I truly believe that it’s doable which may not happen overnight as mentioned but if each of us take the responsibility and resist the system, the better and better we and the nation as a whole would become. Unity is strength. I try hard to go pillar to post to buy organic food and grow some in my yard and let know my friends and family know that I take food safety very seriously as well as publicize as how I work towards it. I am hoping that soon others will follow the suit. I even joined an organic farming community and grow veges. and has an opportunity to barter with my other fellow organic growers veges. and fruits. I feel that it’s my moral responsibility to spread and warn the people about the chemicals in the food and put some food for thought, hoping that they are going to reflect and take simple steps to eat right.

Bonnie Prater

In other words, the US is conduction open clinical trials for the rest of the world.

Katherine H. Terhune

This young woman is so candid, informed, succinct and passionate about something that affects all of us. She distilled key information into an inspired AND inspiring narrative in a sound byte that is just enough to entice us on board, for our own health, the health of our families and communities, future generations and for our nation. I love how she ties it to "patriotic" as she closes. This is our FOOD. It cannot simply be tied to corporate profit the way it is at this time. Go, Robyn!

Kate Schlapfer

Its utter honesty and unbiased truth telling. This is a sad sad story about Corporate greed and how the agricultural conglomerates are trying to rule the food industry world wide....the health implications and cost of said health problems is a price society pays for the corporate greed.

Brenda Kerr

Well it's downright scary to know what you and our future generations are putting into our mouths! I also think it has everything to do with children with ADD and all kinds of disorders. I only hope our country can turn it's self around,but it's all about financial gain.I took matters into my own hands and have my own chickens and milk goats but and a garden. Not everyone has that assessibillity, which is sad, but there is a website called (The City Chicken) which is allowing people to have chickens in the city in their own back yard(excluding Roosters)because of the noise. Helps some,,, but not enough.What else can we do?

Patty O'Neill

Fantastic! As a younger woman I was a crusader and became lazy over time...I think I found myself again...I want to join Robyn's team!

bob banner

thank you sooo much karmatube for posting this!!!! and thanks for TEDx's around the country that provided a venue for people like Robyn to speak out!!!

bob banner

that it might take Type A people to motivate people and corporations to wake up.. Im so thrilled that a mom transformed over night. very similar to Diane Wilson who took on Dupont because it was affecting her shrimping livelihood. Often times its a very personal decision before one pursues what the heck is going on. I just wish she would have taken that very logical (to me) repercussion by taking the FDA to task for their complicity (and revolving door strategies) with these farmacuetical corporations. Her focus on the individual is soft and less threatening. The personal and the political are both important here. But overall its a great first step for people who can only listen to people of her stature and then just perhaps they can start listening to other people who have been talking about this for decades... and then perhaps go and see a film like Farmageddon(.com) where the government is raiding local farmers who are producing good and meaningful products where the government ought to be raiding offices like Monsanto and Cargill! See the trailer at: http://tinyurl.com/3j24lvy

babookyra

She is so credible and her facts are spot on. I just hope it gets to the people who need it. I've known this for years.

Brian

It is totally up to us as individual consumers to vote with our dollars and say NO! to the unsustainable agro-industry.

TO

Organic food should be everyone's right.

TJ

She nails it! It is simply from the heart of a mother. Brilliant.
Way to go Robyn! Your team is growing!

TO

This woman is absolutely right. Watch out for Monsanto, they own 99% of the food industry in the US and working on owning all the seeds of the world! The EPA is run by a former Monsanto executive. They are truly evil! Sadly, most Americans are truly naive to this!

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